Family Matters
by f1ameseeker
Summary: A surprise visit and House's world is turned upside down. Problems begin to escalate but not all is bad for the misanthropic drug addict as he is forced to acknowledge his true feelings. House/Cameron romance, not just in the beginning but eventually. R
1. Would you pick me up part 1

**A/N:** Don't own House MD

This is my first fanfic of House so please treat me gently. The idea came to my mind while watching some reruns. Hope you enjoy it! And if you do please leave a review. The story is set somewhere between 3.15 Half-Wit and 3.22 Resignation, so no Season 4 spoilers here (and no Kutner, Taub, Thirteen or Amber); Cameron, Chase and Foreman still work for House. Its mostly comedy/romance and a little bit of angst/drama in good measures.

* * *

"So, 3:33PM Doctor House is signing out, be a doll and please write that down," House told the nurse handing her the file of his last patient.

"OK," the blond and rather sexy nurse answered, who then started to make some strange gestures at him with her face that House couldn't quite figure out.

"If you are flirting with me I would prefer if you just licked those fleshy lips of yours and winked at me," House teased her in his usual gruff voice. "Corinne," he added while glancing at her ID card.

The nurse made face that could only mean _He's impossible_ and decided that House deserved what was coming to him, much to her personal amusement.

"Where do you think you are going?" Cuddy asked as she sneaked behind him and grabbed his arm tightly so he couldn't escape like he always did. "You still have thirty minutes left in your Clinic Hours, and don't even think about getting away with it. I own your ass, remember?"

"Are you flashing the _get out of jail free_ card on me?" he asked sounding very upset and offended. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh Yes! I would!" Cuddy said, almost falling for his wounded puppy face, almost.

"But the lovable Corinne here already checked me out; there is nothing you can do about it."

"Did you?" Cuddy questioned the nurse.

The nurse shook her head in response; she didn't actually want to get in the middle of a fight between the two scariest doctors in the Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. But Corinne had to admit that she actually found the infamous Doctor House quite charming; and even handsome, in a scruffy kind of way that is.

"Aha!" Cuddy said triumphant. "Twenty-three years old female complaining about a chronic cough," the Dean of Medicine said, handing the file to a very upset House. "Drag that lazy ass of yours in room four, and do it now."

House grabbed the file almost yanking it from Cuddy's hand. He glared at her for a couple of seconds before turning around and starting to limp his way over the examination room. "You just ruined my afternoon; I hope you can live with it."

Cuddy grinned as she was wondering what kind of plans House could have for the evening. It probably involved a bottle of scotch and a round of TiVoed episodes of General Hospital.

The phone in the Nurses Station rang before House could get to far away. "It's for you, Doctor House," Corinne called him with her hand covering the mouthpiece.

"I'm busy."

"It's a woman," the nurse said, now really mortified for some unknown reason.

"What would make you think I'm going to change my mind because a woman is calling me?" the annoyed doctor asked. "For the record I'm used to be hunted by the most beautiful women in this hospital where they can jump at you when you least expect it," added House sarcastically while glancing at Cuddy over his shoulder.

As Corinne relayed the message she started to blush by the second. "She… she says that she's the first woman who ever took a bath with you… naked."

House stopped dead on his tracks. Cuddy's jaw dropped a couple of inches and was looking at him in disbelief. The grumpy doctor scratched his head with the file in his hand while wondering why the goddess of luck was turning her back on him with alarming rate, not that she was ever fond of him anyways.

"She also says that you should remember the wonderful months the two of you spent sleeping together," if Corinne could get any redder and Cuddy's jaw could drop even lower House would no doubt admit the both of them in the hospital and start a differential diagnosis for the perplexed women.

"Fine," House conceded. "Patch that phone call to my office, would you?"

Cuddy couldn't care less that House actually managed to skip the last thirty minutes of his Clinic Duty as she watched him limp to the elevator. The Dean of Medicine was wondering who could be that blatant woman. It surely couldn't be Stacy Warner, she knew very well House's ex-girlfriend; and what the woman in the phone said was so out of character for the constitutional lawyer.

"Sign him out," Cuddy ordered. And before retreating to her office she made a mental note that a talk with Wilson was in order.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

House entered the conference room faster that a crippled man should be able to walk. Chase held in front of him one of those puzzle magazines he enjoyed so much, Cameron was sorting all the paperwork that have backed up from the last two weeks, as she always did, and Foreman was immersed reading some article in The New England Journal of Medicine oblivious to anything around him; that is until House stormed into the room exuding a dreadful aura.

"Find something useful to do and get out of here," the doctor snarled as he limped toward his office.

"But…" Cameron started to say but then she interrupted herself as she saw the murderous glare in his eyes.

The team knew better than to mess with House when he had that look on his face. Something, or someone, got on his nerves and the safest course of action was to evacuate the room in a quick and orderly fashion.

"What do you think happened to him?" Chase asked to his colleagues once they were outside; he was really curious about the demeanor of their boss. House was already inside his office and was shutting down the blinds.

"Don't know, don't care," Foreman shrugged. "I'm going down to the cafeteria to grab a bite. You guys can join me if you want to."

"I'm in!" Chase said and the two doctors headed for the elevator.

Cameron followed suit, but first she gave longing but worried look at House's office. "Hey! Hold that elevator."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

House was looking at the telephone as if it was a bomb about to blow up right on his face. The blipping red light of the call on hold resembled a countdown to utter annihilation, and he actually found himself wishing for a quick and painless death.

"What do you want?" House demanded when he finally found the courage to pick up the phone.

"_You took your time to answer my call, alright,_" a female voice came over the line. A voice he could never forget. "_You know how expensive are these plane phone calls?_"

"As if you couldn't afford them," House replied. "What do you want?"

"_Always cutting right to the chase; that's one of the things I like about you, Gregory._"

"Don't call me Gregory!" House said, raising the tone of his voice. "And would you please tell me what is that you want from me? Or are you planning to kill me out of boredom?"

"_Touchy, touchy…_" teased the woman on the other side of the line. "_Would you pick me up in Newark Liberty International Airport? I'm arriving tonight._"

House wished that earth would open and swallow him whole. Of all he things that could go terribly wrong, this was one of the worst. "How long are you staying?"

"_A couple of weeks at most,_" the woman replied simply.

House sighed deeply. At least it was only two weeks, but the prospect of the damage she could inflict in those days was actually terrifying. He hoped for nothing permanently or something he could handle.

"Flight number and time of arrival?" House asked in defeat as he sensed her smiling.

"_Air France AF018, it should be landing shortly after 7:42PM_" she answered between chuckles.

"You knew I would comply. So, was all that torture really necessary?" House questioned her.

"_Of course it was!_" the woman laughed. "_How else could I get you attention and let you know that it was me when you don't even answer your mother's calls?_"

"Whatever…" House replied, in an almost childish way. His dark mood started to lighten up a bit, just a bit. Of all the women in the world, the one who was talking to him right now was probably the only who could get to him really easy; and the only who wouldn't fall for his games or tricks. "No wonder why my right leg was hurting more than usual. I should have known you were up to something devious."

"_OK Gregory, see you soon. And don't make me wait!_" she warned.

"I told you not to call me Greg…" but was interrupted before he could finish as she hanged up the phone. "Good Lord! That woman can be really annoying when she wants to."

House dropped himself heavily over his chair sighing deeply for the second time that day. The next couple of weeks were going to be the longest and painful ones of his life. Oh but he wasn't going to suffer alone, oh no! Some people he had in mind were going down with him too, two women and three men to be more precisely. He popped two vicodin pills and swallowed them dry, grabbed his _bitchin_ cane with flames and walked out of the office.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

House entered Wilson's office without knocking first, not that he would do it otherwise. Fortunately for Wilson he wasn't with a terminal patient that could be annoyed by the sudden intrusion of his best friend.

"I already bought you lunch this noon," Wilson said while he was signing some documents he had over his desk. "If you are hungry take this change and go to a vending machine, I'm really busy right now."

House looked at the coins Wilson held out in his hand, considered for a few seconds and even though he wasn't hungry he grabbed them anyways.

"That's very generous of you Wilson, but I'm here for another reason," House said, taking advantage of his friend naiveté.

"What? Then why… Oh never mind," Wilson knew better than to try to figure out House's ulterior motives. "What do you need then? If you want to have a couple of drinks with me you'll have to wait till I'm finish here, and that would be until at least two more hours." The oncologist added as he quickly looked his watch.

"As tempting as a date with you may sound, I'm going to have to ready check on that one," House joked. "I need your car keys."

"And what am I going to do to get to my apartment?" Wilson asked incredulously.

"Grabbing a cab sounds like a terrific idea to me," House said shrugging.

"Okay then," Wilson complied as he reached out for the keys in his pocket and handed them over to House. "But I think I have the right to know what you are going to do with my car. At least I'm hoping you are not going to use it to dispose of a body by dumping it into the Hudson."

"Yes that's exactly what I'm going to do," House chuckled. "I finally snapped when Cuddy tried to drag me down to the Clinic so I suffocated her. She's right now tucked in the closet of my office, and as you may know my poor motorcycle couldn't possibly carry that gigantic piece of ass."

"No, seriously!" Wilson demanded barely containing a laugh. He had to admit that the occurrences of House never stopped to amuse him.

"I'm going to pick up a hot and voluptuous redhead with piercing blue eyes that has enough money to buy this hospital out of a whim," House replied as he limped out of the office before Wilson could jump at him asking too many questions that he really didn't want to answer right there.

"What? Who?"

_Exactly!_ House thought as he started heading down to the parking lot.

* * *

**A/N: **So there you have it. Who's this mysterious woman that can send shivers down House's spine? You will find out in the next chapter. And for all the fans of House/Cameron out there do not worry. The core of this fanfic is the romantic relationship between the two of them; and they are going to hook up sooner rather than later (at least I think so). I didn't want for both to start being a couple just at the beginning of the story. I think it's better if they grow slowly closer to each other, build up some tension and then BANG!

Anyways I tried to give some "screen-time" to every mayor character of House while introducing a recurring guest star (Yes, you will see some more of the hot nurse Corinne), a brief introduction to a big important character of my own invention to spice things up and that is going to help me move things at a nice pace.

Don't forget to leave your valuable reviews, let me know if you liked. Constructing criticism is always welcome.


	2. Would you pick me up part 2

**A/N:** Don't own House MD... yet

Well here is the second chapter of this humble story. Hope I didn't take to much time updating. So for your information I have a job so the free hours I have to write aren't that many. And before I forget I want to thank to all of you awesome readers that left a review and/or added the story to the alert, favorites, etc. You guys keep those reviews coming and I'll make sure to update as fast as I can.

About this chapter, I had it all planned out in my mind but was really hard for me to start actually writing it. So I went to youtube to see some House/Cameron videos to get some much needed inspiration and found one that I really liked. Its called **_"House/Cameron - What Would Happen"_** by **_CrazyQA215_** so if you are curious about it go and search for it in youtube. You'll realize what kind of ideas I got from the video when you start reading... So what are you waiting for?

* * *

_Cameron entered his office while he was working on some electronic gadget._

"_PET scan done?" House asked taking off his glasses._

"_No," she replied simply._

"_You come for my feelings? Cause I left them in my other pants," the doctor joked._

"_This is a letter of recommendation" Cameron said while she took out a piece of paper out of an envelope. "I'm applying for a job at Penn."_

"_Thank you for writing your own.__" House said taking the letter from her hands. "I'm sure my thoughts are beautiful phrased."_

"_Thank you for signing it." Cameron countered as he signed the letter. "Saves me having to fake your signature."_

_House handed over the letter back to her and leaned back on his chair. "Stay away from Weiss. He cries with his patients, holds their hands as they die. He won't like you," he paused at the sight of wonder in her face. "Your new found nonchalance in the face of cancer."_

_Cameron stayed silent as she considered House's words. "I thought you'd find it appealing," she finally said, her voice tinged with sadness._

"_Twenty seconds," he sighed. "Pretty good."_

"_For what?"_

"_Time it took you to go from hard-ass to human being," House answered. He then got up from his chair and stood a few steps away in front of her. "You really wanna leave?"_

"_If you're not here, there's not much point in staying," Cameron responded._

"_I'm not dead yet."_

_She fell silent and started to close on him while looking directly into his blue eyes. House was actually very surprised of what she was doing and took him off guard. "What are you doing?" But Cameron didn't reply and instead took another step, closing the distance. "I know this must be a turn-on for you," House said as his last resort to get himself out of that awkward situation; but yet again she remained silent and unfazed at his remark._

_But when she lifted her hands and caressed his cheeks House was so stunned that he couldn't mutter a single word. Cameron brushed faintly his lips with her soft fingers, brought slowly her face so close to his that they were breathing the same air, she pulled herself up and brought his mouth down to hers. House was shocked for the briefest of moments but then he found himself kissing her back caught up in the moment._

_Breathing heavily they continued to kiss each other until she tried to pull out a syringe from a pocket of her lab coat. But this didn't go unnoticed by House as he pulled away from her and grabbed her hand._

"_Little whorish to kiss and stab," He smirked while holding her hand up._

"_You kissed back," Cameron reminded him with a thin smile._

"_I didn't want you to die without knowing the feeling," House said looking down at her and grabbing the syringe from her hand. "Actually no woman should die without knowing the feeling."_

"_All we need is a few drops of your blood."_

"_Foreman and Chase's lips are not gonna get so close now that I know your plan," he said rather annoyed._

"_There is a nurse down stairs about to risk his job to steal the blood you drew from yourself yes…"_

"_I'm patient number 020406," House interrupted her in the brink of yelling. "In the record room under the name of Luke N. Laura. There is a whole vial of blood there along with CT scans, MRIs, CSF… everything you need."_

_Cameron turned around and headed towards the door. "If you need a sperm sample come back without the needle," he said before she exited the office._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

House was awakened by a very upset lady that was shaking him rather hard. It looked like he fell asleep in the uncomfortable airport chairs while waiting for the arrival of his unwanted guest. _Oh that's so gonna hurt really bad in the morning! _He thought as his neck let loose a loud _crack_.

"Excuse me sir, but you are resting your glorious feet on my luggage!" the woman complained, lightning bolts shooting out of her eyes. "I have plane to catch you know."

"For Christ's sake woman! You scared the Bejesus out of me," House gasped as he lifted the feet of the baggage. "Don't you realize that you could have caused me a cardiac arrest for waking me up so suddenly?"

The lady dropped her jaw in bewilderment. "Seriously?"

"No!" House shook his head.

"Are you a doctor then?" the woman asked with contempt.

"As a matter of fact… Yes, I'm a doctor" House responded casually. "What time is it?" he then inquired as if nothing had happened.

"Unbelievable!" the woman exclaimed as she started to carry the luggage to the gate of departure. "Five minutes past seven."

_Wonderful! This day keeps getting better and better._ House gulped down two pills at the prospect of the half hour of wait still remaining and to give some relief to his sore neck. But then he brushed off the feeling of boredom rather quickly as remembrances of what he was dreaming came flooding his mind.

House wondered over the reasons why he had dreamed about the beautiful but really annoying immunologist. The diagnostician had to admit that after Cameron kissed him when she thought he had brain cancer, he started to feel fleeting outburst of funny things in the stomach every time he saw her. That was the first time she actually kissed him over the course of the three years that they have worked together; so he thought, at that time, that it was nothing more than some lingering sexual tension between the two of them that made him feel that way. He wasn't so sure right now.

House closed his eyes and put the hands on the back of his neck to massage it. As the memories of that time came rushing he could almost feel his lips burning slightly. He really enjoyed when Cameron cradled his face with those tender yet firm hands of hers sending jolts of electricity down his spine. The doctor felt awkward at first when she brought her lips crashing down to his; but then he kissed her back with more passion than he would have intended. _It was perfect!_ That is until Cameron decided to ruin the moment by taking out a _bloody_ syringe. He brushed it off making scathing comments and she played along, much to his disappointment. But deep down House knew that Cameron should have felt something similar; and now that he thought about it she was acting kind of aloof lately.

Surely it was worth to dig into the matter. Not that he was going to anything about it… yet.

"OH… MY… GOD!" a female voice exclaimed sparkling with amusement. "Are you really smiling Gregory House MD?"

"Goddamnit!" House cursed, snapping out of his thoughts.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Wilson had finished all the paperwork for that day and now he was resting on the couch with a glass of bourbon in one hand and the US Oncology Magazine in the other. Even though he distracted himself for a couple of hours with all the heavy work he had to attend to; an annoying miniature House was pounding hard with a _bitchin_ cane on the back of his subconscious all the time.

House sneaked out of his office before he could ask him any questions about the rather large nuke his best friend dropped on him without warning; leaving a very much intrigued Wilson. The oncologist noted a subtle change in the demeanor of his friend when he entered his office, House seemed upset about something. But when the diagnostician asked for his car keys and then said that he needed to pick up some mysterious woman down at the airport, Wilson was so shocked that he couldn't even mutter a coherent question.

"I see you are as stunned and confused as I am," Cuddy said giggling with her arms crossed. She was standing at the threshold of the door to his office.

"What else can a mere human being do but laugh at House's royal antics?" Wilson shrugged knowing that probably the two of them were the only people who could grasp the tip of the iceberg that was Gregory House.

"That's what I was telling myself alright," Cuddy replied as she sat down on the couch next to Wilson. "So, are you going to pour me some of that poison you are drinking?"

"Shot! Where did I leave my manners?" Wilson jumped out of the couch and hurried to prepare the drink while Cuddy chuckled slightly. "So I assume you heard about the mystery woman that can make House go pick her up at the airport?"

"What?" Cuddy asked in disbelief. So there was a woman who has the power to make House do a favor, and a pick up at the airport no less. "I didn't know that. I just happen to be around when that woman, whoever she is, called him." Wilson handed over the drink and then she took a sip. "And let me tell you Wilson, she said very disturbing things to get his attention."

Wilson shook his drink while reasoning over the new piece of information. "Well, House barged into my office and asked for my car keys so he could go and pick her up. Then he slipped out before I could ask him anything."

"Wow that's one for the record," Cuddy said in awe. She tried to remember when was the last time House made that kind of favor for her, forced or not, and she couldn't remember. A faint trace of jealousy stained her mood a little bit.

"And she seems to be quite the knock out too," Wilson blurted out. Now that he thought about it he found the situation quite amusing. "She has the looks and the money according to him; the whole package. That may be one of the reasons House would go great lengths for her."

Cuddy gulped down the rest of her drink in one go, feeling annoyed all of a sudden. And uncomfortable silence fell between the two of them and Wilson was wondering if he said something bad that could have upset Cuddy. The relationship they had he could never figure it out entirely; at one time they were fighting, then teasing each other, then joking around, then debating over some risky procedure, then bickering over Clinic Duty, then House making some sexual harassment comments over her _derrière_ and then back to square one. Wilson believed that there was something more than meets the eye between those two but he had to rethink his assumptions now that he saw Cuddy all worked up.

"Would you refill my glass, please?" Cuddy asked handing it over to Wilson. "I'm getting this nasty headache."

"Then you shouldn't be drinking," Wilson recommended a little concerned. "You are going to make it worse."

"Oh come on Wilson, I think the Dean of Medicine can indulge herself in a little bit of drinking from time to time," Cuddy said more cheerfully as she saw the worry all over his face.

Wilson chuckled as he poured the bourbon and added two ice cubes. "We may as well finish this bottle before House can find it and steal it from me," the oncologist passed the drink and started to prepare another one for him. "But tomorrow don't come barging into my office complaining that you have the meanest hangover ever, this stuff is for pros."

"Thanks for the warning but I think I can handle myself," she said with a wide smile.

Wilson sat down next to Cuddy and took a large sip. He was actually relieved that his mind wandered off House for the first time since the diagnostician entered the office that afternoon, and he was wondering why he enjoyed her company so much.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Allison Cameron was hearing Chase and Foreman arguing about something but wasn't really listening to their conversation. Her eyes were absent and her mind was reasoning over the events of the last couple of months. It all started when House was passing himself as a brain cancer patient so he could enter in a medical trial; but before learning the truth about the whole thing she actually was flustered to found herself shocked at the notion of losing him. She was over House, or so she thought back then; but her heart was hurting like never before.

Back then she entered his office with her mind set to distract him in order to be able to draw blood for running some tests. But Cameron was kidding herself. She wanted to let House know how much she cared for him, how much she was afraid of losing him, how much she would miss him and how much she was grateful for everything, the good and the bad. And much to Cameron's surprise and delight House returned her kiss with more intensity than she would have ever anticipated. Old feelings she thought buried erupted as a fiery volcano, the floor under her feet seemed to disappear while their lips were locked. But Cameron demanded herself to regain control over the rampaging emotions, and as soon as it has begun it ended when House saw her reach out for the syringe. It lasted for mere seconds but for her it seemed like a lifetime. The flaring sensation on her lips was a testament of what she really felt about him. But they decided, in mutual silent agreement, to act as if nothing had happened.

But over the course of the following weeks Cameron realized that something changed between the two as House seemed a little bit uncomfortable around her, as she was too.

"You know what guys, I think I'm going home now," Cameron stood up and started to gather her things.

"OK…" Chase trailed off, a little surprised. "Want me to come with you?"

"Sorry Robert but not this time. Page me if something comes up."

Cameron needed to take a break and a much deserved bubble bath with candles, a glass of wine and some relaxation music. Taking her mind off House was called for as well.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

They were walking down the parking lot. He was looking for Wilson's car and she was following him right behind.

"So let me see if I get this straight," House said to his companion. "You couldn't get a limo to take you to the hotel so I'm stuck with that awful chore making my life, in fact, miserable."

"You know that's not why I called Gregory," she said, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "I wanted to see you, know how you're doing. We haven't seen each other for five years."

"You could've written," he responded. "No need to come down all the way to Jersey _to see how I'm doing_."

"As much as I love how much self-centered you are dear Greg," the woman countered. "You are not the only reason why I'm in the States. I have business. And how's the leg of yours?" she asked, a little concerned as he was limping more than usual.

"It was fine until you decided to show up out of the blue," he replied sarcastically. "You know how animals can sense natural disasters before they happen… Well my leg is some kind of radar and it hurts like hell when you show up on my screen."

She laughed out loud. He was the House she knew from forever alright. "So do you have a lady in your life right now?"

The doctor shifted uncomfortably, and she picked this up as dogs can sense kitties. "None of your business," House answered rather harshly. "Finally!" he exclaimed victorious. "I found the damn car."

He opened the trunk and she putted inside the carryon bag, the other luggage was being delivered directly to the hotel. The woman smiled devilish. She knew House as the palm of her hand, and that reaction of his when she mentioned _a lady in his life _meant that he actually thought about someone. Oh she was going to have so much fun in this trip as she started to concoct a few devious plans.

"Where are you staying?"

* * *

**A/N: **So I feel like I need to clarify a few things for you people. First, I know that starting this chapter with a dream-sequence was kind of cheesy but let me explain the reasons behind it. I thought that that scene between House and Cameron is one of the more powerful of the whole series (second only to Wilson's Heart) given the context of what was going on (Cameron believing that House had brain cancer); but unfortunately for we House/Cameron die hard fans it seemed that the writers decided to go in a different direction (She hooking up with Chase and an implied future Huddy). So that was my personal take on that scene as is the starting point of the House/Cameron romance to come.

Also I know that there wasn't to much dialog and more of soul searching but that's all gonna change in future chapters, don't worry. I felt that it was necessary to start stirring the feelings of those two before throwing them together in the gladiator's arena. Stay tuned for House/Cameron mano-a-mano next chapter! I figure you realized the hint at a possible Wuddy, but I'm not so sure about that so I would like if you fantastic readers give me some feedback about that idea. Do you want me to pair those two eventually? I have some ideas but it will take longer for them than for House and Cameron. So let me know what you think.

And last but not least. I feel awful about the new character, I know I told you you would know who she was in this chapter but at the last moment I decided to lengthen the mystery to the next chapter, I don´t know what got into me but I promise that in the coming update I'm going to present this woman in full force, and she is quite the trouble maker.

So see you next time... leave tons of reviews!

* * *


	3. Something for the pain

**A/N:** Don't own House MD.

Well here at last an update to this fanfiction. I'm sorry it took almost a year but the thing is I moved to another city, a city in another country that is. So as you may imagine things have been difficult. Finding a new place to live, find a job, meeting new people, making new friends, getting settled. It's a long and hard process let me tell you. I'm working full time too, so the free time I have to write is not much either. But here I am, trying to make the time to write the House/Cameron story I wanna share with all of you out there.

So I hope you can forgive me for the delay, I think chapters are going to come more regularly. Don't expect one per week because I can't guaranty that. But is not going to take, say, six months to update the fanfic. Well, please bare with me and enjoy the chapter.

* * *

**SOMETHING FOR THE PAIN**

House barged into Wilson's office early in the morning, earlier than usual that is. After a long and sleepless night in which he was dragged to a presidential suite at the Hyatt Regency, House had to cope with a fancy dinner, way too fancy for his taste. There were so many forks and spoons that he didn't know what to do with any of them. And to make matters worse, he was also held hostage for more than four hours while his visit talked without taking a breather about the inconsequence's of life and all that nonsense. So, it was no brainer that House was in a really grumpy mood.

He left the hotel at the brink of dawn, when she finally fell asleep as if nothing had happened. She, or _the devil_ as House liked to call her, had insomnia and blamed the jet lag for it. The incredible of the situation was that he got caught in making her company until she was sound asleep; she even made him play the piano at three in the morning for God's sake. But more unbelievable was that he had complied with her every whim without any kind of fight or opposition whatsoever, as it always have been. After leaving the hotel, House stopped quickly by his apartment to take a shower, a change of clothes and maybe take a short nap. But when he finished with the shower it was almost time to go to work, much to his annoyance.

So, House went directly to the hospital and arrived earlier than he usually did. If Cuddy found about it she would think that there was something really wrong with him, which would lead to so many questions he wasn't eager to answer. Then, hiding for a little while in Wilson's office sounded like a fantastic idea to pass the time. Maybe he could drag Wilson down to the cafeteria to buy him some breakfast, incognito of course from the ever watchful eyes of the Dean of Medicine. But what was greeting him completely swept him off his feet.

The facts were these. The blinds were closed and the light was off. There were a couple of emptied bottles of water in the trashcan and some Tylenol over the desk. Moreover, House could smell a hint of alcohol still lingering in the air. But the irrefutable proof that something devious had happened the night before was that the very same Wilson was lying over the couch, apparently sleeping with a wet cloth on his forehead. Upon further inspection House also found two bottles of Johnnie Walker on the floor by the desk, drained till the last drop. _Where could have Wilson hid these? _ House had searched Wilson's office on numerous occasions for booze, but none had been found. The oncologist had claimed that he wouldn't keep alcoholic beverages within the grasp of House's hands at the place of work, but now that was clearly a lie.

"So what was the occasion?" House asked, knowing that his friend was pretending to be sleeping.

No answer. If House could be fooled so easily he wouldn't be the head of a diagnostics department. House limped his way next to Wilson and hit him rather merciless in the ribs with the cane. Wilson stood up immediately. But the sudden movement worked wonders on him, a greenish hue tainted his countenance and Wilson looked like he was trying to hold vomit that was threatening to come out of his mouth.

House took a few steps to the side, avoiding any possible biological hazard. "I see you had quite the party going on here."

"What do you want now House? I'm not in the mood," Wilson replied as he sat down on the couch. He massaged his temples with his index and middle fingers in a futile attempt to dissipate the throbbing headache.

"Oh I can quite figure that out by myself! After having a blast then comes the remorse," House said with a crooked grin. "Who was the classy lady that spent the night in your office, drinking your booze and possibly...?" House didn't finish the sentence, but he raised an eyebrow and smiled kinkily.

"And how do you know it was a woman? That I wasn't here, alone, by myself?" Wilson demanded with indignation in his voice, trying to dodge a bullet that has already hit the target.

"Elementary, mi dear Wilson," House answered triumphant. Now he had his friend right where he wanted, trying to cover up for what had happened the night before. "First, there is two glasses, and one of them has lipstick on the rim," he said while glancing under the couch. "If you are going to hide the evidence and least don't leave it on plain sight."

Wilson looked down the couch and effectively there were two drink glasses barely hidden. One of them had the mark of Cuddy's lips on the rim. "Unless you have an unknown womanly personality that likes to put on makeup that I'm not aware of," House continued as he strolled around the office. "I'm pretty sure that you sneaked a lady in here. Even though, I wouldn't be surprised if it was otherwise."

"Fine but..."

"There is more evidence to this case!" House raised a hand to interrupt his friend, this was such an opportunity and he wasn't going to let it go to waste so easily. "And this is really interesting, I might add."

Wilson sighed as the diagnostician walked to one side of the couch and took one of the decorative cushions with utmost care, as if being a CSI. House waved the cushion in front of Wilson's face, a mock no doubt, and then picked a couple strands of hair. "This hair is way too long to be yours, and you aren't a brunette either," House said, his tone of voice the same as when doing a differential.

"That could have been there from before," Wilson answered in protest.

"Don't be ridiculous," House said nonchalantly. "You know better than try to fool me, Wilson. I was here yesterday and I didn't notice this hair on your cushions, and yes I would've notice," he added before Wilson could debate. "So, care to explain me how come a woman's hair managed to land on your couch?"

"I... hum..." Wilson mumbled as he pondered his options. "Forget it House, you are not going to get it from me."

"Besides, you are not wearing the same clothes as yesterday," House continued ignoring his friend's last stand. "This means that at least you had the decency to _seal the deal_ at your place."

"Is not what you think," Wilson sighed in relief, at least House got that wrong.

"You well know that I'll find out sooner rather than later, Wilson," House threatened. "So better get it over with."

"Of that I'm sure, but I'm not here to satisfy your perverted curiosity," Wilson said as he stood up and went for his coat. "Screw this, I'm going home. I'm in no condition to work today."

"Taking the day off, huh?" House said to the oncologist. "Well this is more serious than I thought. Hope you are able to drive," he took the car keys from his pocket and tossed them to Wilson.

Wilson caught the keys and looked at them like they were some kind of alien artifact from outer space. "Speaking of which," something finally clicked inside of his head after a few seconds. "Care to elaborate what was all that deal of commotion last evening?"

"I thought you were done here and heading back home?" House said a little uncomfortable as he started to make a run for the exit.

"Oh you are not going to get away so easily this time House," Wilson jumped out and snapped House's cane from his hand. The diagnostician almost fell to the floor face first but he managed to get a hold of a chair to keep the balance.

"That's a low blow," House complained.

"And what exactly have you been doing since you came to my office?" Wilson asked with a grin on his mouth, now the tables had turned.

"Fair enough," House said, conceding defeat this one time. "But we'll have to leave that for later. It's time for me to get back to work. You know, saving lives."

"Just get going House," Wilson said, disappointed. He handed back the cane and started to grab his bearings.

House smiled cockily. Yes, he planned to get back to work. But first he had to do a quick pit stop before heading to his office. "Oh and by the way, now that I know you keep booze hidden in this office I'm going to find out where you stash it!"

Wilson couldn't help but smile.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Lisa Cuddy was having a wonderful day of her own, so to speak. Even though she didn't drink as much as Wilson the night before, she had quite a few of those glasses filled with scotch whiskey. _Well, more than a few alright_. But Cuddy couldn't take a day off as much as she wanted; she had a hospital to run. And thinking about the prospect of a Dr. House running rampart without someone to hold the leash… Let's just say that she even wouldn't dare to think of the consequences. Maybe she could get Cameron to fill her shoes just for that day, maybe.

But Lisa had to admit that she enjoyed the time with James, although now she was paying for the outcome. _Wait! James? Since when did I start to call him James?_ She probably started after the fourth or fifth glass of scotch. Cuddy began to lighten up and got more than tipsy as the night progressed. They ended talking, laughing out loud to the silliest things and then… dancing, hugging and singing to the tune of _Baba O'Riley, Radar Love _and_ Don't Stop Believin'_? It seemed the evening turned out into a _Karaoke_ night. She remembered sitting down on Wilson's couch for a moment; and while he keep talking about who was the woman that House was picking up at the airport she laid her head on a cushion. Everything after that was in blank until... She woke up that morning, sleeping in her own bed and wearing her pajamas. _Wait a second! Does that means James took me home and put me in bed?_ She felt her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

A throbbing pain threatened to split Cuddy's head in two, sudden nausea overcame her and the faintest of noises would make her cringe. Sunlight coming through the windows was burning her retinas so she shut the blinds in one go, annoyance starting to get the best of her. Better leave the thinking to when the hangover of a lifetime was gone. Oh and she should definitely stop by Wilson's office to offer an apology and to find out what happened after she fell asleep.

Cuddy opened a bottle of water and took a large sip. Lisa was analyzing if whether or not to call Cameron in and tell her to watch over House while she was gone for the day. Surely if something came up that needed her immediate attention _the team_ could reach her at home anytime.

"I think you need to check the security videos," House said after entering her office unannounced. "For your information, the head oncologist of this upstanding hospital managed to sneak in a tramp in the premises and…" But House stopped mid sentence, abrupt realization imprinted in his factions.

_Great, speaking of the devil_. Lisa Cuddy could see the gears turning inside House's head at the speed of light.

"You are the tramp!" House exclaimed, pointing a finger right to her face.

"Thanks for the compliment House," Cuddy sighed.

"So, you admit it?" House asked, distrustful.

"Take it as you please," Cuddy answered, not willing to enter a battle of wits with the diagnostician. More so when she wasn't on top of her game.

"So did you guys…? You know," House gagged, not really sure how phrase his concerns.

"Did what?" Cuddy demanded, not quite getting where House was going.

"Hum, you know… Get it on, have a go at it, roll in the hay, hank panky…"

"What? Hell no!" Cuddy shrieked, scandalized. "Wilson is a gentleman, unlike someone I know."

"Oh you would be surprised of what Wilson is able to do when he has a clouded judgment," House countered. Of course he knew Wilson better than her, but Cuddy had the feeling that House was more likely messing with her.

"And what if we did it? Is none of your business. Unless… You are jealous of me, or more disturbingly… of him!" two could play this game after all.

"Pffft! In your dreams honey," House answered indifferently. "To the first, and the second too."

"Then you better get to work, you have a room full of good doctors that are getting bored," Cuddy ordered him. She took one file from a stack of documents and handed it to House. "This should keep you busy for a while. Twenty-eight years old female, collapsed in the gym, rash on her back and lungs filled with fluid."

"This isn't over yet, you are lucky there are lives that need my medical genius."

"I wouldn't expect for you to drop it so easily either," Cuddy said with a great smile, as great as she could muster without risking throwing up. She had to admit that a jealous House was somewhat charming, cute too. "Now get your ass out my office and go to work House."

"Alright boss," House replied. He turned around and left the office without saying anything else.

Cuddy decided right there to cope with the hell she was going through and stay at the hospital. Someone had to keep an eye on House, and she was the only one who was up to the task.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

A few hours later, more like nine or ten, and House was starting to feel what a night deprived from sleep could do to a person _not-so-young-anymore_. The exhaustion was numbing every muscle of his body. He could barely keep his eyelids open and the brain was in such state that House didn't know if he was dreaming or awake. Of course the nine or ten hours of differential diagnosis, try and fail treatments, couple of cardiac arrests and back to the white board to write or erase symptoms had done a number on him too. No _eureka_ epiphany had come to him yet, and they were running out of options and ideas. The patient was stable for now but another crash was possible. They hadn't quite figure out what she had and it was driving him restless. If Morpheus came and offered him the red or blue pill, he would take the blue one without hesitation.

"You seem like you could use another cup of coffee," Cameron suggested.

_Oh ok, I must be dreaming 'cause she looks painfully gorgeous._

House must had been so exhausted that he even didn't notice the moment Cameron slipped into this private office. The signs of tiredness were showing on her face as well, she had worked twice as hard as the rest of them trying to diagnose the patient. Her honesty, sincerity, idealism and strong ethical center must be what drive her through this kind of job. And House admired her for that.

"Don't worry about it. Not even a glorious cup of your coffee can shake what I'm feeling right now," House said, half joking half telling the truth.

"Long night?" Cameron asked carefully, worry in her face, or was there something else he couldn't quite grasp…

"As a matter of fact, yes, the longest there is. It has actually yet to end," House said as he shifted positions in his chair. "How's the patient?"

"She's stable," Cameron nodded. "Foreman is watching over her right now. Chase went home to get some sleep."

"And you didn't go with him?" House asked; he straightened up, suddenly alert.

The question must have caught her off guard. "I… mmm…" Cameron mumbled. "I wanted to see this through, and keep close by in case anything happens."

House smiled and nodded in agreement. There she was, standing in front of him, with a mug filled with a steaming beverage. Like… like the goddess of coffee. _What? Well Gregory House you finally started to lose it, everyone told you but you paid no attention_.

Her light blue eyes were piercing right through him, staring directly into his core. Black skinny slacks fitting her legs like a second skin. The white blouse and matching black vest accentuated her slender figure, long and dark brown hair was held in a high ponytail. The faintest of makeup highlighted her already stunning factions; pink lipstick outlining the thin mouth. Even at this time of day, after ten hours of arduous work, she looked breathtakingly beautiful.

"Here, you better drink this before it gets cold," Cameron said, starting to feel a little aghast by the way House was looking at her; her cheeks gaining a reddish hue by the second.

"Yeah right," House agreed. He leaned forward and extended one arm to grab the cup, brushing slightly Cameron's fingers for an instant.

Jolts of electricity coursed through his body, sending shivers to every muscle, bone, joint and whatnot. Her hands were soft and tender as he remembered when Cameron caressed his face in that fateful day, before she kissed him. Memories started to flood his already convoluted mind, and House found himself hoping that they were kissing each other right there. Cameron looked perplexed from the unexpected contact. Paralysis overcame her and she left the hand held out in place longer than necessary, enjoying the tenuous touch with House's rough fingers.

"I should get down to ICU," she finally said, breaking the contact and putting her hands inside the lab coat's pockets. "You know, to see how the patient is holding up. Foreman may need a hand."

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea," House said. "I'll be here if anything happens."

"OK," Cameron said as she started to head towards the door.

At that same instant the incoming call light of the telephone began to blink. House answered it without really thinking.

"Oh and Allison…"

They both froze at the same time; their hearts skipped a beat at the same moment.

"Good job today," was all House managed to say.

Cameron smiled awkwardly and hurriedly exited the office.

"Yeah?" House said to whoever was at the other side of the line.

"_Who's Allison?_" a well known female voice asked back.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Unknown to the diagnostician, Allison Cameron was standing barely out of House's sight. She was breathing heavily and trying to calm down her racing heart, unsuccessfully.

* * *

**  
A/N: **So what do you think? Did you like it? Leave your reviews and let me know your thoughts. To any new reader please R&R I'm eager to know what do you think of this story... It rocks, it sucks? Any suggestions or requests? Shout them in a nice review... I'm all ears and open to any kind of feedback!

If you don't know the songs Wilson and Cuddy sang that night I recommend you to look for them, so you can get an idea of the mood that was going on.

The night is not over yet for House and Cameron and a close encounter of the third kind is bound to happen. Sparks are flying between those two and things are going to roll at a nicer pace. So stay tuned for the next update. I promise you wont regret it. Lots of Hameron moments coming your way!


	4. Teardrop

**A/N:** Don't own House MD

OK, here I'm with the next chapter of this humble story. See, it didn't take long for me to update. Thanks to all of you who took the time to read, and more so to those who left their comments in a review. This chapter is extra long... and there are two reasons for that. First, I needed all the events that transpire here to happen before the next chapter. And second, I'm afraid the next update is going to take a little while 'cause I have to finish some paperwork for my college application.

That's why this chapter is my longest yet, and I really hope you like it. So let's get this show on the road!

* * *

**TEARDROP**

"_So?_" The female voice asked.

"So what?" House asked back, trying to sound indifferent but he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"_Don't play fool with me Gregory... Who is Allison?_" The woman demanded again, this time using a tone of voice that shall not be ignored.

"A doctor, an immunologist really, she works for me," House answered with a sneer.

"_And what is your relationship with this Allison_?" she asked, amused. "_Romantic? Platonic? Younger, naive doctor falls in love with older, crabby mentor?_"

House was terrified of how close she had hit on the target. Where did this woman get that kind of insight? He had to throw her off, and fast. "Ugly as a cow, but she gets the job done."

A bemused laugh was all House heard for a few seconds. "_That's the best you can come up with?_ _I know you are lying to me Greg,_" she said, catching him immediately on his lie. "_The reason is why?_"

"And what makes you say that?" He demanded. House could fool anyone; his parents, Cuddy, even Wilson, but not her. Never could, and by the looks of it he wasn't going to start now.

"_By the way you said her name,_" she answered, completely serious this time.

"I think you're making a misunderstanding here," House defended himself. "Tell me how is that you, _allegedly_, figured out I was lying about..." he hesitated, just for a second. "Dr. Cameron? Come on, you could barely hear me over the phone."

"_Oh dear!_" she exclaimed happily. "_Greg, I may have not heard anything about you for five years, but I do know you like the palm of my hand,_" the woman paused for a second, House braised himself. "_The reason I know you're lying is because I have never heard you say a woman's name like the way you called this 'Allison'_. _Not even when you told me about 'Stacey' while the both of you were together,_" that wasn't called for but still House felt a sting in his heart. "_And since when are you on 'first name' basis with your subordinates?_"

"But... Well that's..." the diagnostician began to complain.

"_And that tells me is that she isn't ugly at all as you so hastily told me,_" the female voice interrupted him. "_Quite the contrary, I believe she must be a gorgeous woman._"

"So what are you trying to say? That I'm superficial?" House asked, feigning indignity.

"_Oh God! Yes of course!_" She answered between giggles. "_But I'm sure she's a great person too. In fact, if this lady was able to put up with you for more than a month I may start to think she must be a saint._"

Actually it had been two years, almost three, so Cameron must have been canonized by now. "I guess you'll never know, huh?" House commented nonchalantly but froze one second later. _What? Why did I say that? Now this is going to come back to bite me in the ass._

"_Is that a 'dare' Gregory?_" She asked, amused. "_You know better than try to challenge me, you always end up biting the dust,_" the woman made emphasis in the 'always' part. "_I'm thinking that going down tomorrow to your work for a visit is a splendid idea._"

House wished he hadn't opened his big mouth right then. When was he going to learn that he couldn't speak without thinking twice, better make that thrice, while talking to this woman? Anything he said could backfire in the most horrible way, and this one was now at the top. He blamed the lack of sleep, plus the long arduous shift trying to keep a young girl alive. And of course, the vivid memory of a _certain_ cheerful immunologist was clouding his better judgment.

"Laura, I think you shouldn't bother coming all the way here for just a visit," House said trying to sound as calm as possible. But in reality he was panicking at the outcome of her just showing up at his place of work.

"_Nonsense!_" The woman scolded him. "_I want to meet everyone that works with you, particularly this Dr. Cameron you're so fond of. And besides, I think that a bunch of prestigious doctors could do a great deal of promotion to the event I'm organizing._"

"Is there no way I can change your mind on this?" He almost pleaded. "I can babysit you anytime you want..." It was the last effort to dissuade her, but he already knew it was futile. Once Laura set her mind on something she was like a pit-bull biting down on his crippled leg, she just wouldn't let go.

"_As tempting as that sounds,_" Laura said briskly. "_I've made up my mind, Greg. I'm coming down tomorrow so you better be prepared for it. I want the tour, sightseeing, gift shopping, complementary lunch, meeting the locals... the whole package._"

"The horror... The horror!" House mocked but cursed inwardly. Tomorrow was going to be one heck of a day; and it all started because he blurted out one simple name, that had a nice ring to it nonetheless.

House still had to figure out what kind of demon possessed him at that moment. To call _Cameron_ by _Allison_... it was just not him at all. If Wilson only knew, he would laugh at him and babble one or two of those lame jokes of his, no doubt of that. And then his best friend would push him to pursue the last chance for everlasting happiness, no doubt of that either. Yet again, House blamed the exhaustion for his continuous mishaps, but this one had been _monumental_. And she noticed it too; Cameron froze at the same instant the words left his mouth. What was the meaning behind that?

The reasons why would Cameron care for an angry, misanthropic son of a bitch were beyond him; she was practically a _stuffed animal made by grandma_. But the diagnostician had to admit that something had changed inside of him. Just by being around her House felt intoxicated, every contact with Cameron sent shivers down his spine. They way sometimes she looked at him could make his heart race in a rampage. House was starting to lose control of the situation and he didn't like it. He had to do something before matters could get out of hand.

"_Oh and by the way,_" Laura's voice snapped him out of his brooding thoughts. "_That 'Good job today' line? Yeah, that was really smooth Don Juan. I think I'll have to teach you a thing or two about picking up women; seems to me that you're a little rusty on that department._"

"Is this the moment that I'm supposed to laugh? Because I left my sense of humor in my..." House stopped mid-sentence as he was interrupted by the buzz of his cell phone. After quickly glancing at it he bolted out of the chair with sudden worry in his face.

"Shit! I gotta go!" was the last thing House said before hanging up the phone. He grabbed his cane and hurriedly started to limp out of the office.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Cameron was making her way down to the CV-ICU. She was still feeling the aftershock of House calling her by _'Allison'_. It was the first time he had ever used her first name and it cut her to the core. Cameron was overwhelmed by a myriad of different emotions; her heart went on a racing pace threatening to burst out of her chest.

"Why would he do that?" Cameron thought out loud.

She couldn't believe the effect it had on her just hearing House utter her name in that husky voice of his. It had sounded... so right. And it seemed he did it unconsciously because House looked as shocked as she was. So if this wasn't one of his snarky jokes, or a test to see her reaction (a singular '_Cameron, I love you_' popped in her mind), or just House being House. What else could it be? Was she excited about the possibility of the crabby doctor finally giving a glimpse of his real feelings for her? After almost three years of playing cat and mouse? Cameron had moved on, or so she thought. House made it very clear for her during that date from hell that he wasn't interested in her, romantically speaking. And after the Stacey Warner debacle... well let's just say she was over him. But after almost a year after that, a thin crack appeared on the walls he put around him; and Allison was touched.

But, there was one little problem, fine, more like a mammoth kind of problem. Now Cameron had a steady relationship going on with Chase. Robert clearly, truly loved her; but Allison couldn't bring herself to have the same feelings for him. Of course, she liked him, she cared for him, he was a good friend, but she didn't love him the same way he loved her. Cameron thought that eventually, given some time, she could really reciprocate those feelings. But that went down the drain the day House feigned brain cancer. Right until the moment they all found out he was faking it, she had been devastated. That was how much he meant to her. Old feelings were flaring up and by the way House was ogling at her a few minutes ago... it was like adding fuel to the fire.

Cameron soon realized she had to sort out her feelings STAT. It wasn't fair for Chase to be with him while she couldn't give him everything he deserved and even more. It wasn't fair for Cameron to be in a relationship when there was the possibility she still had romantic _sentiments_ for her boss; strong, deep and authentic sentiments. It wasn't fair for House to end up old, alone, in pain and probably in a madhouse just because he was as stubborn as an ass. But above all she had to find out what House felt about her, this time for real. She had to know. Allison wouldn't survive unscathed if he decided to dodge the bullet with his abrasive comments, yet again.

"Hey are you feeling OK?" Foreman asked out of the blue.

Without realizing it, Cameron had made her way to ICU. Foreman's concerned question dragged her out from her thoughts. "Yes, I'm fine. Why?" She still was a little bit flustered.

"Well you seem like you just saw a ghost."

"No, I'm fine, really," Cameron chuckled, trying to put her emotions in check. She walked next to the patient's bed and grabbed the chart. "I'm tired, that's all."

"Weren't you going to check up on House?" Foreman kept pressing on the matter. "What did that jerk do now?"

"It has nothing to do with House," Allison lied while she hid her face behind the chart. Of course it had everything to do with House; she was falling for her boss all over again. "He seemed more dead than alive, though."

"Yeah I thought the same thing this morning," Foreman agreed. "The man looked like he didn't get any sleep."

Cameron nodded. So House said. She began to wonder what he did the night before. House hadn't been drinking as she didn't notice the usual symptoms of a hangover. He just seemed tired, really tired.

"Yeah well, what House does in his free time is none of my business," Cameron shrugged.

"By the way you said it sounds like _it is your business_," Foreman replied. "Are you sure there is nothing going between you two?"

"Well that..." Cameron didn't have the chance to finish as one of the monitors started to emit a loud, beeping alarm.

Both doctors glanced at the patient lying on the hospital bed. She was bending over in pain grasping her abdomen; a moment later she started to cough blood into the oxygen mask strapped to her. The blood pressure began to rise dangerously, anymore higher than that and there could be irreparable damage. An artery could rupture or her heart could collapse under the strain. A nurse rushed into the ICU room and immediately started to prep the defibrillator.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Foreman asked in frustration as he was trying to remove the oxygen mask of the patient so she wouldn't choke on the blood. Another alarm flared up. "She's in V-Tach! Hand me the paddles!" He ordered to the nurse that was standing by.

Cameron ran to the medical cabinet and started to prepare an epinephrine shot. "PAGE HOUSE!" She yelled as panic began to creep through her body.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Wilson was lying on his bed, as comfy as possible. After a long nap, lots of water and a proper dinner he was feeling much better. James had a little problem with his coincidence, tough, as he left the hospital in such short notice. He had to cancel all of his appointments, including an important board meeting. But he didn't regret it. A day off was called for, away from the burdens of work, of cancer, of House. His best friend was that, his best friend; but sometimes just dealing with him was like a full time job. Let's just said Wilson was glad that for one day he didn't have to worry about someone stealing half of his food.

But nobody could ever forsake House from one's thoughts so easily. Wilson still was puzzled about the woman shrouded in mystery. Not even House's own mother could make him go to the airport to pick her up. It seemed to James that House was ready to spill the beans that morning, but changed his mind on the last second. Was she family? Old friend? An _ex_ perhaps? Or maybe a professor from his days of college? The possibilities were endless and just thinking about them were making his head hurt. _I guess I'm not completely recovered of that hangover after all_.

The oncologist was lost in his thoughts when the phone began to ring. Surely it was House, wanting to continue his battering. By now House must found out it was Cuddy who was drinking with him last night. He couldn't wait for House's trademark jokes about the future Mrs. Ex-Wilson.

James picked it up after he let it rang three times. "Look House, if you want food I have some leftovers from my last Chinese takeout," surely a day without House was not meant to be. "So, if you wanna come by to have a go at it you know where my spare keys are. I'll be sleeping."

"_Eeh? It's actually Lisa..._" Cuddy said, embarrassed.

It took a few seconds before Wilson could realize what was going on. "As in Lisa Cuddy?" James asked, dumbfounded.

"_Mmm... Yes Wilson, as in Lisa Cuddy, M.D._" She stated the obvious with a soft laugh.

"Lisa... Hi... How are you?" He managed to mutter. Wilson was caught completely off guard.

"_I've seen better days, how about you? Are you feeling OK?_" Cuddy asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine," Wilson answered. "Look I'm sorry I missed the board meeting but..."

"_That's not why I called you,_" she interrupted him. "_And you don't have to apologize for taking a day off. You hardly leave the hospital; you're our head oncologist and a board member. You work twice as everyone else and let's not mention you're also House's best friend. I think you can take a day off now and then._"

"OK, I guess you got a point there," Wilson said, a little more relaxed. "So, what can I do for you?"

"_Actually I wanted to apologize,_" Cuddy said softly. "_It seems I fell asleep in your office, and you took me home._"

"Lisa, don't worry about it," he said honestly. "You know I have to deal with a very drunk House on a regular basis. Compared to him you were delightful, really." In fact it had been more difficult than he was letting her know, just for the fact that she was a woman and he was pretty shitfaced too.

"_Mmm, yeah, thank you anyways,_" Lisa replied. "_And thank you for last night. I didn't have that much fun since... well since I hired House._"

Wilson chuckled. "I know House is a pain in the ass but you're happy to have him around."

"_Yeah he knows how to make things 'a little' more interesting,_" Cuddy paused, and somehow Wilson knew she was blushing in the other side of the line. "_And speaking of interesting... I woke up this morning tucked in my bed and wearing my pajamas. You know anything about that?_"

Some of House's evil ways must have rubbed on Wilson because he decided right there to have a little fun with Cuddy. "What you mean?" He asked as innocently as he could.

"_You know… did you…_" she murmured, more embarrassed than ever.

"Did what?"

"_Oh come on Wilson! You know what I mean!_" Cuddy almost yelled. "_Are you really gonna make me say it?_"

Wilson couldn't contain the laugh anymore. "Don't worry Lisa. You got changed all by yourself… In the middle of the kitchen for like an hour," he heard her sighed in relief.

"_Well, thanks again Wilson,_" she said. "_I guess I was right. You are a gentleman, even though House said otherwise. But I think I'll have to learn how to handle my drink._"

"As you so eloquently sang it," Wilson cleared his throat. "Some will win, some will lose, some were born to _drink the booze_."

Cuddy laughed full-heartedly. "_I'm pretty sure it goes 'some were born to sing the blues'._"

"But that's the way you sang it last night," Lisa Cuddy was left speechless. Wilson thought that he was indeed rubbing some of House's preying on the weakness thing. "Look the important thing is that we both had a great time," he decided to give her a rest.

"_Yes you're right,_" she agreed happily. "_I wouldn't mind doing it again. But next time more singing, less drinking._"

"Yeah I wouldn't mind that either."

"_OK see you tomorrow James,_" she began to say goodbye. "_Eight hundred hours, sharp. One day off is reasonable, two is pushing it._"

"Right," he laughed. "Good night Lisa."

"_Good night._"

Wilson hung up the phone. Only a few seconds later something like a cold shower washed over him suddenly. _Wait a second! Did I just set up a karaoke date with Lisa Cuddy?_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

House barged into the CV-ICU as fast as his right leg let him. He appraised the scene in a matter of seconds. Foreman and Cameron were checking on the patient's vitals, one of the two nurses was putting a new blood bag in the pole connected to the IV lines and the other nurse, House thought he had see her the day before, was rearranging the defibrillator. He noticed blood splatters all over Foreman, the bed and on the patient. Also, it didn't escape to him that Cameron's hands were shaking faintly.

"What happened here?" House demanded.

"Well, she bent over grasping her abdomen, afterward she started to cough up blood and her blood pressure spiked to the roof. She entered V-Tach after that," Foreman recounted the prior events. House could see he was exhausted.

"We managed to stabilize her," Cameron added.

"But her blood pressure was still high," Foreman continued. "We put her in Alpha Blockers and Diazoxide. Now is normal but her heart can only take much."

"OK," House entered one of his deep meditations. "Now we have severe abdominal pain, coughing blood and high blood pressure… What does that tell us?" He said more speaking to himself than everybody else in the room.

House began to prance around the room, using one of his hands to caress his jaw. "Take her down and do an MRI and CT-Scan," he said after a minute or so.

"We've already done that," Foreman debated. "Nothing strange came up."

"Yes, but that was before she coughed up half of her blood," House said as a matter of fact. "And the blood pressure is a symptom she didn't have before. Send me her EKG for the last three hours up to my office." He ordered to one of the nurses.

"Okay," Cameron acknowledged as she started to detach the hospital bed.

"Not you Cameron," House stopped her. "I order you to go home and get some rest. I'll expect to see you early tomorrow with some fresh ideas."

"I'm fine, I can stay," she protested.

"No, you're not," House looked at her with a serious countenance. "Do as I say."

Cameron sighed deeply and quickly walked out of the room. Once she was out of sight House continued. "Foreman, stay with the patient until the wombat gets here, after that you can head home too. I'm going to call Chase; he should be well rested by now."

"I think Cameron is pretty shaken up," Foreman commented. "Want me to check up on her?"

"No, I'll go see how she's doing."

House left the room before Foreman could even mutter a single word.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Allison Cameron was in the locker room, face buried in her hands. She was breathing heavily, trying to regain her composure. After the events of a single day Allison was stressed and felt hopeless. Three cardiac arrests were too much for a 21 year girl. Her strained heart definitely couldn't take anymore; she was bordering the line of needing a transplant. But given her current condition she probably wasn't going to qualify. If they didn't find out soon what the young girl had, the next day could probably be her last. Or maybe House could lie to the Transplant Committee in order to get a position for the girl in the list of potential recipients. Is not that he hasn't done it before.

The doctor was starting to feel the toll it had on her psyche that kind of job. Juggling with people's lives. She did it for almost three years and she thought she could handle it. _'The only thing that matters is what you think. Can you do the job?'_ House's words replayed in her head; he asked her back when Foreman joined the team. Cameron thought he was dodging her questions about why he hired her. Now the immunologist knew better. House was asking if she was going to be able to hold her ground.

Tears were threatening to flee her green eyes. She was on the verge of an emotional breakdown, and in that moment she felt truly lonely. But Cameron forced the tears back as she noticed a well known gruff scent flooding through the locker room. And in a matter of seconds she recognized the characteristic limp of Gregory House. Of all the people who could have showed up… _It was him and him alone_.

She felt him stop just a couple of feet away from her. Cameron lifted her head and looked at the reason why she _had to keep up_. House was staring at her with his deep, blue eyes. Cameron gave him a weak smile. It was all she could manage in that moment. Surprisingly, he gave a few more steps and sat beside her. House left the cane leaning against the bench and reached for the bottle of vicodin in one of his pockets; popped the cap and dry swallowed two pills.

"Long day, huh?" House asked casually.

"Yeah," Cameron replied softly.

"So…" House muttered, surely he was having trouble trying to figure out what he really wanted to say. "Are you feeling OK?"

Allison just couldn't believe the words she was hearing. _House showing concern for another human being?_ This was the end of the world. "Yeah," was all she said, this time because Cameron was too shocked to even form a coherent sentence in her head.

"Oh well, this isn't fair," House complained, with his best childish tone.

"What isn't?" Cameron asked with an honest smile. She was feeling relieved all of the sudden.

"I came down here, all worried about my employee, and all I got is a lame 'yeah' for an answer," he said, this time changing to his mocking voice.

"House, I assure you, I'm fine," Allison said as she stood up. The proximity with House was starting to make her feel lightheaded.

Cameron began to walk away but suddenly, before she could get too far, House reached out and took her hand with his. Allison stared at him in disbelieve. He slowly stood up and closed the distance between them with a single step. House winced in pain as he shifted his weight to the left leg. Cameron could feel how the touch with his hand was sending raw heat through every inch of her body, melting away any self-doubt, fear and pain. His piercing eyes, like an ocean of clear blue waters, were staring intently at her emerald ones. They weren't icy or harsh as they normally were but warm and flickering with excitement. Why couldn't he always look at her like that?

"Are you really?" He asked with his husky voice, still holding her hand.

But Cameron didn't answer. She was lost for words. Unconsciously, she placed her free hand on his chest, just above the heart. His eyes wandered off from hers for the briefest of seconds, but they returned clearer and more committed than ever. House was letting down his shields in that instant, letting himself get caught in the moment. Cameron slid her hand from his chest to the back of the neck pulling him closer to her. House trembled slightly under the casual caress and she grinned with the response. Allison leaned forward and breathed softly into his ear and then she grazed lightly her soft porcelain cheek against his rough one, setting skins on fire in the process.

House held her hand tightly in his and placed the other on her waist. They locked eyes once again, electricity flowing between them. Cameron started to lean forward, slowly, searching for his mouth. She closed her eyes… heart beating strong with anticipation. Allison felt House leaning toward her, lips just millimeters away from founding each other.

But before mouths could clash, the sound of the door to the locker room being open reached their ears. And just like that the moment was gone, they both pulled apart hastily. Cameron was breathing heavily; memories and sensations of mere seconds ago were betraying her mind and body. She quickly glanced at House; he seemed to be struggling to regain his self-control as well. He gave a few steps back and managed to grab his cane before Foreman came in sight.

Cameron saw Foreman arching an eyebrow; he was looking at them curiously, putting together the pieces of a puzzle in his head. "What's going on here?"

* * *

**A/N:** So here it is. What do you think? Let me know ASAP! I really hope you enjoyed the ride. And before all of you come bashing at my door for interrupting the kiss, all I have to say is that please be a little more patient. This two are going to be smooching sooner rather than later. Tee hee .

And speaking of the future. I've already outlined the next three chapters. All I have to do is find the time to write them down. But let me assure you that things are going to start heating up... Finally, a tease for the next update. Brace youselfs as the mystery woman will be playing a visit to PPTH. What are going to be the reactions of Wilson, Cuddy and the ducklings? Well, stay tuned to find out!


End file.
